Remembering François Cevert

A French F3 champion, Cevert made his Grand Prix debut in the F2 class of the 1969 German GP and went on to replace Johnny Servoz-Gavin in Ken Tyrrell’s Formula 1 team alongside Jackie Stewart as of the 1970 Dutch GP. At the French and Gernan GP the following year Stewart and Cevert scored the first ones of a series of Tyrrell 1-2 finishes over the coming years and Francois scored his first victory in the final round of 1971, the US GP at Watkins Glen. With Jackie Stewart’s imminent retirement, François Cevert was being groomed thoughout 1972 and 1973 to take over as Tyrrell team leader as of 1974. But a tragic accident during qualifying for the 1973 US Grand Prix when his car flipped at the fast Esses at Watkins Glen and skidded along on the barriers killed on of the most colourful and promissing drivers of the early 1970s.

Born: 25th of February 1944 in Paris, France.
Died: 6th of October 1973 in Watkins Glen, USA, aged 29.